Poll: US global image down, particularly among key allies

America’s image around the world has remained low in President Trump’s second year in office, according to a poll from the Pew Research Center released Monday.

The poll, which surveyed 25 countries, found that the decline in the United States’ global image continued from 2017, particularly among some key nations closely linked with some of Washington’s most prominent foreign policies. 

{mosads}About 39 percent of Canadians had a favorable view of the United States, down from 65 percent at the end of former President Obama’s second term and down 43 percent from last year. Only about 25 percent of Canadians surveyed said they have confidence in Trump specifically.

The president has repeatedly feuded with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, particularly over Ottawa’s trade policies towards the U.S.

Canada signed on to a revised NAFTA deal in 11th-hour negotiations Sunday night.

On America’s southern border, 32 percent of Mexican respondents said they have a favorable view of the U.S., with 66 percent saying relations between the neighboring countries have gotten worse in the past year.

Trump’s hard stance on immigration and his promise to build a border wall has alienated Mexicans and impacted their views of his personal performance as president, with over 90 percent last year saying they opposed the wall and only six percent of respondents this year saying they had confidence in Trump. 

The U.S.’s position has also taken a hit in Russia, where 26 percent of Russians have a favorable view of America, down from 41 percent last year. A 55 percent majority say they think that relations have declined in the past year, and the share of Russians with a favorable view of Trump has dropped from 53 percent to 19 percent.

While Trump has adopted friendly rhetoric toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, the administration has adopted various stances against Russia’s interests, including sanctioning Kremlin-linked officials and bombing Syrian military targets. 

America’s position is also low among European Union allies, with 43 percent offering a favorable view of the U.S. In the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain, Trump’s approval ratings are 28 percent 10 percent, 9 percent and 7 percent respectively.

Trump has angered a number of European allies over his tariffs on various imports, including automobiles. He has also put intense pressure on EU leaders to contribute more to NATO defense funding.

As Trump and America’s positions have declined on the world stage, many polled said China has taken an increasingly prominent global role.

About 70 percent say China plays a more important role today than 10 years ago, compared to 31 percent who say the same about America. The U.S. only has a five-point edge over China regarding which country is seen as the world’s leading economic power, leading China 39-34.

However, 63 percent of respondents said it would be better to have the U.S. as the leading power, compared to only 19 percent who said the same of China. 

The U.S. and Trump, however, both poll favorably in Israel. A year after the president upended decades of U.S. foreign policy and moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, 83 percent of Israelis approve of the U.S. and 69 percent approve of Trump. 

The U.S. also gets high marks in South Korea, where 80 percent of those polled say they have a positive view of America and 44 percent say they have confidence in Trump, up from 17 percent last year. The president has made denuclearizing North Korea a centerpiece of his foreign policy.

Pew conducted the survey between May 20 and August 12 and interviewed 26,112 respondents from 25 countries.